


The Labyrinth(stuck)

by IHeartSnuffles



Category: Homestuck
Genre: A little BroDave but not toooooo much, Action/Adventure, BroJohn - Freeform, Essentially John is Sarah and Bro is David Bowie/Jareth, F/M, Kissing, Labyrinth References, M/M, Unless you want more, Will update tags as more is added, labyrinthstuck, yeah the sexual tension is fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-21
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-26 11:22:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2650229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IHeartSnuffles/pseuds/IHeartSnuffles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John hates his little sister Jane and his new step-mom. He's supposed to watch his sister for the night, but instead in a fit of rage he sends her to the Goblin King with an ill-planned wish. My take on Labyrinthstuck based on an rp with my pal Tess (Warning: flashback initially for the first few chapters but then John is of age once the arc in the Underground is done)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah give me feedback about this dumb thing I've been stressing about for a decade (6 months i am a drama king) and if you want more lemme know so i can continue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: cut a little bit out that was unnecessary for the storytelling, continue as usual :3

Soft music that he could never really place despite knowing every word. Voices calling to him in restless dreams. Owls hooting in the nighttime breeze that seemed to grab at his hoodie and laugh with the stinging cold. The color orange always drew his attention. He could never explain why those things appealed to him, no one would understand. It had all been a dream, always told it was just a quirk he had.

As a child, John Egbert remembered the one night he became more than just an ordinary boy. He had saved his baby sister from an untimely demise and learned the courage in trusting and befriending people, not to mention learning that the world did not revolve around his every whim.

But now, those events had become a memory within a dream. Something that he slowly started to forget more and more until it became something that only luck would reveal again to him. And to tell the truth, it was well… not really a threat of demise. And not really people in the sense of the word, but more like others. And he was still quite ordinary before and after the events, almost too ordinary in the sense. To the point where luck really didn’t work in his favor 90% of the time.

“Ugh another fucking day wasted.” John groaned, throwing his apartment door open. He was soaking wet, his jacket useless in the Washington rain. It had been sunny earlier, how had he not seen the signs that the clouds were right there waiting to dump the entirety of the neighboring town’s bay on his goddamn face. Must have been his shitty day at work, and his shitty college dropout letter he had gotten. Not to mention his parents calling while he’d been on shift to ask him calmly (he knew they were passive aggressive but damn) ask him to call and explain why he was having such a hard time.

“Way too many whining little shits asking for more toppings, I miss my bookshop job so damn much… Those were the days.” He discards his wet clothes after stepping out of his shoes, sniffling from the cold and from his emotional distress. His black hair was plastered to his head, and his yellow sneakers were scuffed to hell. Not to mention his nice blue shirt he had worn today had some mysterious yellowish brown stains that even Clorox wipes couldn’t get out. He missed his bookstore job more than ever now, but the place closed down a few months prior due to lack of funds.

“Nobody… asked for extra shit on their pizzas at the bookstore, or refused to talk to you because…” He sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, in plain gray boxers, his head in his hands.

“…because they’re intolerant of your life choices and romantic pursuits… I talk to one seemingly interested guy on my break and the whole restaurant is after my head. Fuck. I don’t want to deal with this shit anymore.” He flopped back on his blankets and curled into a ball, sniffling sadly. He supposed that by morning his boss will call and ask him to come in and quit before they fire him for being gay, and that only made his head hurt and his stomach ache worsen.

John groaned and hid his face in a pillow, his mind racing. Was there no way to escape this shitty life he’d dug himself into? He could’ve texted Jane, or Rose. They may have known what to do. But then again pestering his younger sister or step-sister about his shit luck with life in general may have not been the best plan. Instead he laid there, sniffling and trying not to cry into his pillow, wishing something would happen so as to end all his suffering or at least for a little while so he could pull himself together.

He heard soft music playing a few seconds after his desperate thoughts, a soft melody that sounded very familiar. He shot up, his eyes scanning the room, but the moment he sat up the music died away.

“What the… huh.” He shrugged, lying back down and turning over. A book was sitting on his dresser across the room, dangerously close to falling on the floor. But John didn’t notice, stewing in his sadness not unlike a sore loser. Justifiable, but not really necessary.

WHUMP

“What.. Oh.” He turned over to face the dresser, his eyes spotting a book lying face down on the floor. It was an old beat up book by the looks of it, and the jacket was very familiar. He got up slowly, staring at the small paperback on the floor with a look of confusion and remembrance. As he started to pick it up, the words in faded ink catch his eye.

_The Labyrinth_

Everything flooded back at an immeasurable speed. He felt his heart rate spike and his eyes widened as he quickly straightened up. It had been a dream, he’d never believed any of that stuff had actually happened… Had he? The dreams though… The dreams he’d had months, almost years after the first dream. Orange eyes and the hooting of owls, an impossible heat...

John scoffed at the mere thought that his dreams had been real, but turned the book over in his hands, flipping through the pages. The pages were old and worn, and the friendships he’d made back then were fresh in his mind. Could they have been real? It had been so long, what if they’d forgotten him?

“Can’t help to just y’know, try. If it doesn’t work then it’s back to the bed for more tears and drawn out sorrow… Now what were the words again…” He furrowed his brow and stared down at the book, his back facing the only window in his room. A serene white owl and a tawdy barn owl were perched on the tree beside his apartment building, staring into John’s window as the noirette paced the bedroom floor searching for a quote.

“Ah there’s no specific thing for it… What the hell did I even say that night when I was furious at Jane… Ugh I don’t want to keep living like this, barely surviving from paycheck to paycheck, I wish the Goblin King would just come here and take me away from this damned place.”

A sort of uncomfortable silence filled the room and the owls disappeared from the window, John blinking a few times before he set the book back down and sighed, “Of course it didn’t work.”

“Well no shit dude, you left the window closed. You're lucky Dave knows how to teleport. How the hell am I supposed to help you out if I can’t get in?” A very familiar voice made John freeze, and he slowly turned around, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.

“Holy shit it wasn’t a dream." **  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rewind to when John was younger, about 14 and a half

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay! Here's the first half of the first chapter

“Give me the child.” The young boy stood there, his blue eyes staring across the expanse of grass that surrounded him. A serene white owl was perched on a log only a couple hundred paces away, staring at the young preteen with piercing amber eyes.

“Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way to the castle beyond the goblin city. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great…” The boy trailed off, his brow furrowing as he fished out a small booklet from beneath his medieval shirt, thumbing through the pages with a scowl.

“Damn.. my will as strong as yours… my kingdom as great… For fucks sake where is it.” He sighed, his jeans wet at the bottoms from running through grass all afternoon. “You… Aha! You have no power over me.”

**BA-BOOM**

A dog’s bark is heard after the deep roll of thunder and the boy spins around to see his old white husky dog barking at a log, just getting a glimpse of a white owl soaring away.

“Aw c’mon Colonel S., knock it off, I was just about to..” He doesn’t finish his sentence before a loud chime is heard from a not too far bell tower, the young lad quickly checking his watch. “Oh shit it’s 7:00! Come on, come on Colonel!”

The boy and his dog race against the oncoming rain but don’t make it back unscathed, the preteen’s shirt and jeans soaked through and the dog’s coat muddy and wet.

“You’re late John, you said you’d be home by 6 and it’s an hour past.” His stepmother, Ms. “Mom” Lalonde, was standing at the door waiting for him. She was a young woman, no older than 30, her long pink scarf just barely to her feet and contrasting her usual white lab coat-esque dress. John scowled at her and turned to Colonel Sassacre, petting him.

“It’s not fair.” John grumbled, Mom raising an eyebrow at him.

“Oh really? We let you stay an hour past your curfew mister, now don’t just stand there. Come inside before you get a cold.” She admonished, sticking her foot out when the dog began to follow John inside. “Not you Colonel.”

“But it’s pouring out there!” John spun around, Mom pointing to the garage.

“Go on, to the garage.” She lightly tapped the dog’s behind with her foot, getting him to turn around slowly. John let out an upset sigh, waving his hands.

“Go on, Colonel. Go into the garage, go!”

The dog slowly walked into the safety of the garage, John entering the house with a dissatisfied sigh and pout. Mom was right behind him, already beginning her scolding.

“An hour, really Jonathan?” Mom crossed her arms, giving John a stern look.

“I said I was sorry.” John sighed again, slumping his shoulders and avoiding Mom’s look.

“Let me finish please, you know your father and I rarely leave the house for some quality time together-“

“You go out every single weekend!” John cried out, glaring up at Mom with his youthful blue eyes that were full of anger and resentment. “I can’t even make plans or friends because of you, you never even ask me if I have plans! It’s so frickin stupid!”

“I only ask for you to baby-sit Jane if it doesn’t interfere with your plans, and if you truly wanted to leave or hang with kids you would have told me. I’d like it if you started asking girls to dates, I don’t even care if you ask a boy at this rate. You should be doing things at your age, not just sitting around reading and shirking your chores John.” Mom scolded, getting exasperated with John’s immaturity. Just then, John’s dad began to come downstairs, a crying baby Jane in his arms.

“We were worried about you son, are you alright?” Dad stepped aside as John bounded up the stairs to escape, yelling something about being unable to “do anything right” before shutting himself in his room with a loud slam of his door.

“He treats me like a witch or an evil stepmother, James I just want to get to know him and become friends with him…” Mom began, Dad shushing her with a peck on the cheek and passing Jane to her.

“I shall speak with him, just try to calm Jane down so we can put her to bed before we go.” Dad smiled, walking back upstairs.

A familiar tune was playing from a music box precariously perched on his dresser, stuffed animals and books scattered everywhere in a clustered mess on his desk and dresser. John had thrown himself onto his bed, lying on his back reading passages out of the small book. The cover was worn but the letters still proudly read _The Labyrinth_ in black cursive font.

“Through dangers untold… and hardships unnumbered… I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city… to take back the child that you have stolen.” John mumbled, his reading glasses leaving little red indents on the bridge of his nose from how many times they had been pushed back up or forced on.

“Son?” Dad knocked on John’s bedroom door, a small cupcake in his hand. “May I speak to you for a moment?”

“Go on Dad, you’re gonna be late to your date.” John called out, “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Dad stood there silently behind the door, setting the cupcake in front of the door with a small note on the top. “Your mother fed Jane and she’s in bed now, we’ll be home by midnight. I’m proud of you son…”

John heard him go downstairs after a second and the front door open and shut, sitting up with a roll of his eyes and a loud sigh. “You really wanted to discuss something with me huh? Practically broke the door down, goddamnit.” He peered around his room, feeling something was off. The window that led to a view of his backyard was framed by a tree with a single lone white owl perched in it, its amber eyes making John shiver and look away towards his bookshelf.

Where a spot lay empty in his line of stuffed animals.

“Where the crap is Casey?!” John jumped up and looked around, growling with tears at the corners of his eyes. “Someone’s been in my room again, I hate that!” He stormed out towards his parents’ room, kicking the cupcake aside and throwing the door open to see a crying baby Jane in her crib. His precious yellow toy lizard Casey lay on the floor where Jane had thrown her, igniting a small fire within John.

“God I hate you so much, why did I have to be stuck with you!? Someone take me away from this awful place, I can’t take it anymore!” John cried out, picking up his salamander and cradling it in his arms. The storm from earlier had picked up all of a sudden, loud wind rattling the window’s latched doors and rain pelting the glass. The owl had moved to this window, watching John with a trained eye.

Jane continued to cry, her infantile screams irritating John further. “What do you even want? Do you want a story or something, huh? Ok.” He came over to her crib, glaring down angrily at her.

“Once upon a time there was a handsome young boy whose stepmother always made him stay home with his little baby sister. The baby was a spoiled little brat who wanted everything for herself, and the young boy was practically a slave.” As he spoke, John circled the bed, the storm growing louder with each passing moment.

“But what no one knew was that the king of goblins had fallen in love with the boy and he had given him certain powers.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which John fucks up big time, and a new character is somewhat introduced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay guys, this college term has been absolute hell but hey I'm glad y'all are still sticking around for this :3 If you have any questions or wanna talk to me about the Labyrinthstuck verse, you can message me here or at my tumblr iheartpkmn.tumblr.com  
> 

“But what no one knew was that the king of goblins had fallen in love with the boy and he had given him certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to him, he called upon the goblins for help.” John stared down at his sister, Jane calming down for a minute only to scream again when lightning lit up the room from outside and thunder boomed.

 

\--

 

“Listen!” A single raggedy goblin with greasy gray skin and a crooked nose sat up in a jammed room full of fellow beings like it, the majority of them asleep. The high vaulted ceilings projected a vision onto the wall of a young boy staring down angrily at a crib, the throne sitting across the room empty save for a strange puppet with soulless glassy blue eyes. One by one the small creatures in the room begin to awaken as the voice of the boy resounded through the room. A young man stood watching from the shadows of the nearby stairwell, his eyes following the young boy’s every move with curiosity.

 

\--

 

“’Say the right words,’ the Goblins told the boy, ‘and we’ll take the baby girl to the Goblin City and you will be free.’” John sighed, watching his sister squirm in the crib. The light from the nightlight was barely enough for him to see the bright robin’s egg blue glow of his little sister’s eyes, a reminder of his mother who had parted ways with them unwillingly.

 

\--

 

“Ah! He’s gonna do it!”

“Shaddup!”

“Shhh!” One by one the goblins had begun to titter and awaken, the young man in the shadows feeling alarmed but interested at the scene unfolding before him. He’d predicted a setting much like this one a few years ago, but seeing the object of this prediction threw him in for a loop. Was that child really the one his Bro intended to…

 

\--

 

“But the boy knew that the king of the goblins would keep his sister in his castle forever and ever, and turn the baby into a goblin.” He glared down at her for a moment before moving to pick up a toy and tossing it in the crib. “So he suffered in silence, until one night when he was tired from a day of housework and hurt by the harsh words of his stepmother. He couldn’t stand it-“

**KRAAK-BOOM**

A loud clap of thunder shook the room and Jane began to cry even louder, John wincing with a scowl.

“All right, all right!” He picked her up and held her at arms length over the crib, “Stop crying, knock it off already Jane! C’mon! Stop it!” She cried harder still, making John bite his lip and growl, “Stop! I’ll say the words! Don’t make me say… I can’t, I mustn’t say…” He set her back down in her crib, covering her small kicking legs with the blanket and releasing his lip from between his teeth.

“I wish… I wish…”

 

\--

 

“He’s gonna say it!”

“Say what?”

“Oh shut up!”

“Shut up? You shut up!”

“Listen you fools, he’s going to say the words!”

Goblins bounced around the room, some sneaking into the shadows to go somewhere that the young man hoped would not be of hindrance, but as he watched the young boy he felt slightly excited, the anticipation clawing at his gut as he saw a brilliant white owl in the view of the window.

“Oh boy, here we go…” The young man leaned against a pillar, his eyes hidden by shades. “Bro was always one for theatrics, this kid better be what he said he was.”

 

\--

 

“Y’know what, I can’t take it any longer. I’m done with this Jane! Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!” John pulled up the crib’s gate fully, the thunder shaking the room again and setting Jane into another round of tears and screeches.

A soft mumble began to come from beneath John’s parents’ bed, “Where’d he learn that lark, what rubbish. Doesn’t even start with I wish!” The howl of the wind and the rain and the cries from Jane masked the sound however, and John looked over desperately at Jane. He clutched Casey to his chest and sighed, moving to the door.

“I wish I knew what to say to make the goblins take you away, oh stop it Jane!” He yelled at her, her cries giving him a headache.

“It’s not that hard, ‘I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now.’ For pete’s sake kid…” The voices began to multiply under the bed, hushed and quietly tittering.

 

\--

 

“So that’s where they were going. Damn Bro wants to torture his subjects and the kid? Why the hell am I even his adviser, the idiot…” The young man rolled his eyes and stepped out of the dark, his white blonde hair ruffling in the breeze that swept through the throne room. “Bet he’ll want me to teleport both of them to our realm. He’s lucky I control the time in this realm and in theirs, the dumbass… Sorry Lil Cal gotta do something real quick.” He prepared a crystal ball and carefully put the puppet on its own stand, his hands glowing red as he started to wind down the clock.

 

\--

 

“I wish… I wish the goblins would come and take you away…” John sighed as he turned off the bedroom light, moving to leave the room, “right now.”

All at once the crying stopped, John’s foot halfway out the door when an eerie silence swept through the room. The rain outside had seemingly died down, but the wind blew like a harsh whistle outside, muffled by the full length windows latched together. A single owl hoot from outside shook John out of his daze from the quiet and he spun back around to glance around the dark room.

“Jane…? Why aren’t you crying?” John slowly tiptoed over to the crib, hesitantly peeking in with a shocked cry, “JANE!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bro is introduced, John may or may not have planted the seed of interest in them both, and Dave makes a new friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is longer than the last one, because I was stupid and didn't find a good cut off area, but hey it's a good chunk of the beginning done. Double update wooo get hyped guys!  
> Edit: Fixed a few tense problems and rechecked over the whole thing just in case. :3  
> Edit 2: Fixed more tense problems

“JANE!” John cried, his hands shook as he frantically searched the crib. A soft giggle made him stand up straight and spin around, a glimpse of gray all he had seen near the other side of his parents’ bed. He ran to the bed and looked behind it, nothing there. An ugly chuckle came from behind him by the closet, and a scuffling of feet to his left made him yelp and stand up. “What’s going on!? Who’s there?” He cried out, running around after the sounds of laughter and noise. Spinning around and around trying to catch the beings that were behind this, he didn’t hear the owl beating against the window with its claws and wings until a sharp click was heard as the lock was undone. Wind burst through the full length windows, the latch holding them together falling uselessly away as the owl flew into the room.

“Aaah!” John yelled as he covered his head with his arms and closed his eyes, the wind and rain quickly dying out as the owl perched itself on the windowsill. John cautiously cracked one eye open, his blue eyes meeting the owl’s piercing orange ones in surprise and fear. For a moment everything went still, John couldn’t even hear his own breathing, and then the owl began to glow. The owl’s form began to stretch and John could feel his heart racing. He couldn’t believe it.

The owl had become a handsome man of unknown age, seemingly young but not far from his late twenties. His blonde hair was styled somewhat down, the strands almost feathery and light. His gold eyes stared down at him with a bit of warmth but still calculating and cold, shades appearing in his hands that were clothed with white gloves that matched his regal white shirt. The collar was popped however, which made John snicker mentally at how pretentious and silly it looked. But as John’s eyes traveled down, he saw very… strange pants. Almost like black slacks but they weren’t, they were like leggings with how they clung to his form. Clothes that left very little for the imagination.

John coughed, his face flushed pink from embarrassment at the sight and looked up, meeting the man’s eyes again. But he was no man.

“You’re him, aren’t you?” John’s voice cracked and he reddened, clearing his throat before continuing, “You’re the Goblin King.”

The Fae made no sound, only moving to place the triangular shades over his eyes. With his eyes covered, he seemed even less approachable, which made John nervous. But he swallowed his nerves and straightened up, setting his lips in a poker face that mimicked the Fae’s.

“I want my baby sister back, if it’s all the same.” He spoke with a slightly wavering tone, his hands clenched by his sides. His eyes automatically cast down at his feet, his bravado spent in those words almost immediately.

“What’s said is said.” His voice was smooth, almost too smooth, and it made John want to smack him for some reason. It was a confident sound, a regal voice that made him angry and want to make him speak even more. It was a confusing feeling. But he had more important things to do, like getting his sister back.

“But, I didn’t mean-“

“Oh, you didn’t mean it?” The Goblin King cut him off, a small smirk visible on the corner of his lips when John looked up . His jawline made John subconsciously rub his still-childishly-soft cheeks nervously, his youthful pudge not quite gone thanks to his Dad’s obsession with sweets.

“Please, where is she?” John murmured, the Goblin King’s amusement slowly fading.

“You know where she is.”

“Please, bring her back. Please.” John looked up, his eyes filled with worry. He figured begging would possibly give him a better chance of getting Jane, but seeing nothing change on the Goblin King’s face made his hope flicker and die out.

“John… go back to your room. Play with your stuffed animals and costumes… Forget about the baby.” The Goblin King began to move, his steps not making a sound as he circled around John, observing the rest of the room but still keeping his gaze centered on the young boy.

“I can’t, please…” John felt his heart skip a beat when the Goblin King started to move, he himself frozen in his spot where he stood. When the Goblin King stopped walking, he was standing almost directly in front of John, who looked up defiantly.

“I brought you a gift.” The Goblin King smiled for a moment, reaching into his sleeve to procure a small crystal ball. John’s eyes widened at the beautiful orb, confusion obvious by his frown.

“What is it?” He tilted his head, and the Goblin King smiled a bit more, kneeling down to show him. Their height difference was certainly there, for when the Goblin King kneeled down, he was almost the same height as the young boy.

“It’s a crystal, nothing more or less. But if you turn it this way, and look into it, it’ll show you your wildest dreams.” As John reached for it, the Goblin King smirked and pulled his hand back. “Ah ah, but this isn’t a gift for an ordinary little boy who takes care of a screaming baby.” John’s hand faltered, and his smirk grew smug. “Do you want it? Then forget about the baby.”

John’s eyes flicked back and forth from the Goblin King’s hand to his face, his lips pulling down even further as he found the power to move and step back. “I.. I can’t. I appreciate what you’re offering, but I want Jane back. She must be all sorts of terrified.”

“John… Don’t defy me.” The Goblin King’s lips turned down into a scowl as he stood, the crystal ball turning into a black snake that he threw a moment later at John.

“Ah!!” John shrieked, batting it away with his hands and fear gripping his bright blue eyes. The snake fell to the floor to reveal it was merely a puppet, the strings laying on the floor unconnected to anything. A couple chuckles and giggles echoed around the room and John glanced around, his shoulders raised and his lips pressed in a nervous line as he felt eyes staring at him. A goblin popped out and pinched his leg, making him yell in surprise and stumble forward. Laughter surrounded him as he stumbled, an arm reaching out to hold him. John looked up to see a very stern-faced Goblin King looking down at him, his face flushing pink again from nerves.

“You’re no match for me, John.” The Goblin King smirked, John’s face heating up even more, but from anger instead of embarrassment.

“I need my sister back.” He repeated, his eyes looking up into the Goblin King’s with a sense of pride and concern. For a moment the Goblin King said nothing, then he snapped his fingers and stood up straight, John clinging to his arm as all of a sudden the world began to shift. The carpet floors of his parents’ bedroom melted into sand, the walls fading out of existence to reveal a huge expanse of sand that led down a hill from where they stood.

After a moment of dizziness, John blinked and saw that the sand led to a giant maze, a city made of stone sitting at the very furthest edge. It looked overgrown and the stone looked very old, and for a moment John was lost in how beautiful the view was. Until he felt the arm holding him up shift. He stepped away quickly from the Goblin King, the calm he felt from the view cutting short as he felt anger fill him again.

“She’s in my castle, over there. Do you still wish to look for her?” The Goblin King pointed and John could see a giant castle that was perched almost directly behind the city, overlooking the sea to the far left. John felt a small seed of despair start to sit at the bottom of his stomach, but he nodded.

“Is that the castle beyond Goblin City?” He questioned, looking up at the Goblin King. The fae smirked, standing up to his full height.

“Turn back John. Turn back before it’s too late.” His voice was smarmy, almost condescending, and it made John see red.

“You very well know I can’t. Don’t you understand that?” John replied carefully, making sure his anger was in check. He glanced back out at the Labyrinth, smiling a little. “It doesn’t look that far.”

“What a pity… It’s much further than you think, John, and time is short.” He waved his hand and a clock appeared, the time showing 13 hours. “You have until 13 hours have passed in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby sister becomes one of us, forever. Such a pity.” The Goblin King let out a soft chuckle, patting John’s head before he faded away, leaving the young boy alone on the windy sand-covered hill.

“Thirteen hours, huh… And the Labyrinth. It doesn’t look that hard. Well, come on feet. Let’s see if we can save Jane.” John swallowed thickly, his hands set in fists and his shirt whipping around in the wind as he started to walk carefully down the hill towards the worn stone walls of the Labyrinth.

 

~

 

Meanwhile, the young man sitting in the throne room stood up, glaring over at the Goblin King who appeared a moment later at the doorway. “You could have done the time stuff yourself, you ass. Way to make me tired.” The young man set the puppet back on the throne, his steps measured and rhythmic as he approached the King.

“Dave you know I have an appreciation for your powers, go lie down and I’ll bring you some lunch in a bit. Don’t be such a baby, lil bro.” The Goblin King laughed, rubbing Dave’s head affectionately before going to sit at his throne. “The game’s begun, now all we gotta do is wait and see how John does. Hopefully this time…” He trailed off, his eyebrows knitting together as he created a crystal ball and set it on the pedestal before him. Dave knew that he’d been dismissed by then, sighing with a small smile as he left the room.

“Broderick, you workaholic… A’ight I’m goin to bed. Better be some apple juice with that lunch, Bro.” Dave left reluctantly, watching as his brother pored over the magic crystal and read some documents. He heard soft cries coming from the other room, his heart twinging with surprise. So he had actually taken her this time. Dave swept into the room where a small infant girl with impossibly blue eyes was laying in a crib, the goblins trying to get her to stop crying but to no avail.

“Y’all are scaring her, shut up and leave us be. I’ll bring her to my quarters and see if I can appease her for now. You’re all dismissed.” Dave waved his hands, the goblins scattering quickly at the sight of the king’s advisor. He knelt by the edge of the crib, the baby’s crying faltering for a moment at the sight of the young man.

“Shhhhh it’s alright, Davey’s got you. Jane, was it? Such a cute name for a little girl… Shh, I got you…” Dave picked up Jane from the crib, walking towards his own room across the hallway. His bed was huge, a rounded bed mimicking his gear-shaped crest he had made for himself decades back, a red expanse made of pillows and blankets of rich golds and maroons. The little girl gurgled with happiness upon being held by Dave, her small hands finding his face and feeling his chin and cheeks. “Haha, you’re a feisty lil gal, I’m Dave. Here, I’ll let you play with my Nakodile toy…” They played together for a little while, until Jane’s blue eyes began to droop and she fell asleep in his arms on the bed, Dave falling asleep with her moments afterwards from the exhaustion of twisting time.

“Dave, you wanted apple juice right…?” Bro walked in a bit later, seeing the two cuddled together in sleep. “The lil shit.. Heh, sleep well Dave. Glad to see you’re makin friends already.” He smiled, his shades tucked into his shirt neck, and he leaned over to press a soft kiss to Dave’s forehead. Dave mumbled something in almost a response, his scarlet eyes hidden with sleep. Bro left the food sitting on the bedside table, taking one last glance at Dave before quickly going back to the throne room.

“You have thirteen hours, John. And your time will go quicker than you realize…” Bro muttered, his amber eyes staring into the crystal he’d conjured, watching the young boy stumble through the sand towards the Labyrinth. “Maybe he will be the one… Maybe…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always (forgot last chapter to do this, oh well) if you have any concerns or questions just comment, leave feedback and like if you want more! (please I need feedback I can't tell if I'm writing this well enough and I want this to be perfect for you guys cuz the BroJohn tag always needs more well-written fics)  
> Thanks for reading! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat is introduced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short little chapter, I promise there'll be more in the next one but I gotta head to class in a minute. :3

John stumbled as sand filled his shoes and grass tripped him, his descent towards the maze anything but graceful. At one point he had dug his foot into the sand so deeply that he pitched forward, rolling down the hill with a shout and ending sprawled out in a little courtyard next to the giant walls of the Labyrinth.

“Ow… Fuck that really hurt…” John winced, standing up. His medieval shirt was a little dusty, the blue muted with dirt. He brushed himself off and straightened, looking around. The walls were huge, stone blocks almost the size of him mixed with small stones that created an almost insurmountable barrier. Up close, maybe his thoughts about the Labyrinth were wrong. His eyes immediately honed on a figure that seemingly was… peeing into a fountain?

“Excuse me?” John called out hesitantly, the figure yelping and cursing as he quickly scampered behind the fountain in embarrassment. He seemed to be a goblin, or some sort of gray skinned troll, short in stature but angry looking.

“Excuse me? Excuse you, you idio- Oh it’s you.” The troll boy came back out from behind the fountain, his jeans zipped up beneath his raggedy black sweater that was covered in holes. A string of keys was hanging from his waist, sparkling in the evening light.

John was confused for a moment, did the boy know him or something? “Can you help me get through the Labyrinth?” He ventured, but the troll boy’s attention suddenly averted towards the air around him, prompting him to look around. A small white bull, no larger than a quarter, with wings was dancing around his head. “Oh wow, those are so cute! What are they?” John exclaimed, reaching up towards the quickly fleeing fairy bulls.

The troll boy pulled out a spray bottle, aiming it at one close to him and squirting an orange substance that made the fairy bull’s light go out and it plummeted to the ground, dead. “57!” He grunted, his eyes flickering around at the small group of fairy bulls that had descended upon them. “Ugh there’s more of them.”

“What the hell?! How could you- Ow!!“ John had one in the palm of his hand when all of a sudden it bit him savagely on the finger and took off into the air towards the troll boy, who shot it down without a second glance.

“58. Ha! What’d you expect them to do, moo at you and be cute little shits?” The troll boy’s eyes were an off yellow color, John noticing his black irises as he got glared at.

“W-Well I thought they’d be cute and stuff, like fairies are supposed to…”

“Shows how much is in your thinkpan.” The troll boy scoffed, knocking down a couple more before swatting at the rest of them with his hands.

“You’re horrible y’know that?”

“No, I’m Karkat. Who the fuck even are you, nobody comes around here willingly.” The troll boy leveled a stare at John that almost made him shiver, but he stood his ground and stared right back at him. Considering there was a foot height difference with John being the taller, it wasn’t too hard for John to feel superior for a moment.

“I’m John.” His name is met with a sigh and a “that’s what I thought” before Karkat turned and sprayed a couple more of the fairy bulls. He was starting to get impatient, and time was running out. “Do you know where the entrance to the Labyrinth is?”

“Maybe.” Karkat mumbled, jingling his keys absently as he fiddled with the bottle. John’s eyes lit up, and he grinned.

“Well where is it?”

“Where’s what?” Karkat had gotten distracted with another small swarm of fairy bulls, his eyes showing the barest hint of amusement as he glanced back at John. His frustration with the troll boy grew as he traded exclamations back and forth with him, not getting a straight answer.

“The door!”

“What door?”

“Oh my god, you’re hopeless. Why am I asking you. It’s pointless asking you anything.” John groaned, turning away from Karkat. The troll boy smirked, spinning the bottle on his finger and shooting down another fairy bull with ease.

“Well of fucking course it’s hopeless if you don’t ask the right questions, you wriggler.” John glanced back at Karkat, who had his arms crossed and was giving him his undivided attention, if only for the moment.

“Like… How do I get into the Labyrinth?” John ventured, his lips set in a confused frown.

Karkat chuckled at John’s tentative question and nodded, jabbing a thumb back behind him at a magnificent door that suddenly was there as if it had been there the entire time they’d been talking. “You get in through there… You really wanna fuckin try and take that stupid maze?”

“Well, I kinda have to. My sister’s in the Goblin King’s possession and-“

“Oh my flying fuck, Broderick that royal asshat…” Karkat groaned, “Well, now that you’re here at the door…” The doors swung open as John stepped towards it and brushed his hand against the stone, showing two pathways. “Which way you gonna go, right or left?”

John blinked, the question registered after the fact that the Goblin King’s name had sunk into his mind. Broderick… It was sort of regal, but it had a kind of… weird appeal to it. He shook his head, and looked into the doors. One path led left, the other led right. Both looked almost exactly the same, the dirt paths leading towards an unknown destination.

“They look the same to me.”

“Well damn, you’re not gonna get very far with that kind of idea.” Karkat smirked, John huffing at his amusement.

“Which way would you go, jerkface?” John tapped his foot as Karkat looked at both directions and shrugged, the movement catching John off guard.

“Neither.”

“What, that makes no sense.”

“You make no sense, you take far too much for granted y’know. Like with the fairy bulls and the idea that you’ll even fucking make it that far. Like damn you’re so far up your own waste chute you’ll never make it through in time. Take the Labyrinth for example, once you hit the center you’re not guaranteed to get out again afterwards.” Karkat rolled his eyes and turned to shuffle back to the fountain, John scoffing at him.

“Well that’s just your opinion, dude.”

“Well it’s a lot better than yours, idiot.”

“Thanks for nothing, Krabkat.” John turned and stepped past the door, Karkat spinning around to flip him off.

“It’s Karkat! And don’t say I didn’t fucking warn you, you prepubescent sack of shit!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, but I couldn't cut off this one at a later point due to time constraints, but more will definitely be in the next chapter. Like/Comment if you enjoyed, and if you spot anything that's written awk or is a typo lemme know! I love feedback! And message me at iheartpkmn.tumblr.com if you wanna chat! :3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John meets his first little bit of advice in the Labyrinth via a tiny yellow salamander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you guys have the patience to even wait for a dumbass like myself, sorry if this seems like filler but I'm getting back into the swing of things since I just finished finals.

“The heck did Broderi- uh, the Goblin King and Karkat mean by Labyrinth… This thing just keeps going on and on!” John groaned, the path around him seemingly endless. The walls were of a lighter yellowish brick, almost golden sandstone, and the dirt path beneath his feet seemed to be stuck on repeat. That was the fifth time he’d passed that weed!

He blinked a few times and pulled his glasses off to rub his eyes, pausing his speed walking and looking around. “Maybe… it doesn’t? Maybe I’m taking for granted that it doesn’t end? Yeah that’s it!” He shoved his glasses back on his face and stumbled forward, running as fast as he could for a good minute or so before he saw the same weed again and stopped, letting out a groan of frustration and banging his fist against the brick wall beside him.

“Hullo!”

“What the-!” John stepped back and looked around, the voice seemingly coming from next to him. “Who’s there?”

“Down here!” To John’s surprise a small creature wrapped in rags about the size of a quarter seemed to appear right on an outcropping on the wall by his knees. It was a tiny little gecko-looking thing, with yellow scaly arms and a tiny yellow tail.

“Did you say hello?” John kneeled down, his eyes wide with marvel and curiosity. The little character shook it’s head and the wrappings around it seemed to be made of spooky looking fabric, a blue tongue sticking out of their little mouth.

“No, I said hullo! Close enough though! Behold my robes, are they not amazing?” The little yellow thing shuffled around a little on the outcropping blowing tiny bubbles, John’s lips slowly turning up into a smile.

“They are quite amazing, yes. What a sight to behold.” John giggled, the little lizard wiggling happily. “I haven’t a clue what you are, maybe some lizard or something, but do you know your way around the Labyrinth?”

“Me? Oh no, I’m just a salamander. You should come inside and meet the Missus!” The salamander in tiny robes motioned for John to follow, but the boy shook his head.

“No, thank you. I’ve got to solve this Labyrinth. But there’s no turns or openings or anything, I’ve been walking in circles for ages.” John sighed, sitting fully and casting his eyes towards the crumbled dirt beneath his feet. The salamander let out a squeaky laugh, prompting John to look back up.

“It’s full of openings, it’s just you ain’t seeing them.”

This made John perk up a bit, puffing a bit of his hair out of his eyes and glancing curiously at the salamander, albeit in confusion. “Where are they?”

“Why there’s one right in front of you!”

The sandstone bricks stared back at John blankly as he scrutinized the wall, his eyebrows furrowing as he stood up and concentrated on seeing any sort of button or something that could magically open the wall. But nothing. It was all brick. “That’s just a wall, there isn’t an opening. Where’s the button?”

“Try walking through it, you’ll see. Go on!” The salamander urged, waving their tiny yellow limbs at the boy until he hesitantly stepped towards the bricks. “Things aren’t always what they seem in this place, so you can’t take anything for granted.” The little lizard let out a cheer when John put his hand up and almost fell through the opening with a yelp, hastily following him through to the other side.

“Thank you, that was… that was incredibly helpful.” John let out a few gasping breaths as he rested a hand on a solid wall, finding another two way passage. The excitement and surprise he had felt going through that wall… He really needed to not take things wholly for granted here.

“Of course! But don’t go that way!” The little salamander cried out as John stepped towards the path to the left, the boy stopping rigid and turning back. “Don’t go that way, never go that way!”

“What was that? Oh, thanks! Have a good one little salamander with the nice robes!” John took a deep breath and gave the little lizard a grin before bounding towards the opposite direction.

The salamander chuckled, securing their amazing robes around them with a celebratory bubble and watching the boy dash off and go through another seemingly solid wall. “If he’d kept going that way, he would have gone straight towards that cursed castle. Good lad, hope he does alright.”

John felt the ground pounding beneath his feet and he heard the soft crack of thunder in the distance mixed with a soft cry that almost sounded like a baby’s cry. He felt his heart clench anxiously and he doubled the strength in his footsteps.

“Jane… I’m coming Jane, hold on…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know what you think, I'm officially done with college till fall so look forward to longer and better updates soon! <3 Message me on my tumblr iheartpkmn if you have any questions or theories, I also do requests! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broderick watches as John solves yet another riddle in the Labyrinth, the young boy learning that there certainly is more than what meets the eye in this place.  
> Edit: Fixed some time shenanigans and tenses, just doing once overs with the whole fic so as to help make this smoother for everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay that wrote itself in a matter of 2 hours so here's this, enjoy!

What felt like an hour later John came upon a maze of walls, the dirt transitioning into squared sidewalk beneath his sneakers. His legs ached but he was determined to keep going. Broderick sat upon his throne, his amber eyes crinkled in amusement as he watched the young tween stumble about through his crystal ball. The goblins had started to play with the young Jane human in his throne room before him, surprised by her spunk for such a young weak-looking baby. Already she’d punched three mean looking goblins in the nose and had won Dave over completely with her big blue eyes. Not to mention she’d pulled a few baby pranks that had even the King of Goblins snickering.

“Hmmhm… Dance magic dance… ” He hummed a soft catchy tune, moving his gaze from the ball to watch the young baby girl with a smile before gazing back into the crystal. “In 10 hours and 25 minutes, you’ll be mine.”

“What if I…” John searched the floor until he found a strong enough stick, drawing an arrow into the squares towards the direction he wanted to go. He strode confidently in the direction of the arrow, not noticing the panel he’d drawn upon begin to move. A small angry pink turtle had popped up, shaking a tiny fist at the young boy.

“What’s goin on?! It’s a writing on my fragging walk walk. Your mother is a fraggin’ snaggle-toothed nakodile!” The small squeak went unnoticed as John walked away, the arrow being turned in the opposite direction by the grumpy turtle.

Every so often John would kneel down and draw an arrow when he came to a crossroads, carefully marking the direction he went towards and walking briskly in that direction. And the one time he stopped to catch his breath in a dead end, he heard soft scuffling.

He spun around to see two small goblins flipping the mark he’d drawn, letting out a cry, “No! You two changed my mark! Wait… Someone has been changing my marks! What a horrid place this is, that’s not fair!” He stomped his foot, the two goblins stopping and dropping the panel to glare up at him.

“That’s right, it ain’t fair.” They tittered and cackled, running away in the other direction. John groaned and slumped to the floor, the dust making him cough and blink a few times. Where there had been a passage back to where he’d been, there was now a wall of the never-ending sandstone brick. He stood up abruptly and turned to see that the dead end he’d come to was now composed of two doors, guarded by two guards each.

“And that’s only half of it.” The guards laughed at John, who stared dumbfounded at the newest oddity that had placed itself before him. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, the black and white carapace guards clothed in garish bright clothing that seemed too clashingly ugly to even be considered as professional.

John glanced back at the wall behind him, then back at the guards with an upset groan, “It keeps changing! What am I supposed to do?”

“Try a door, any door!” Guard #2 on the left crowed, the others snickering.

“One leads straight to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth, the other leads to…” Guard #4 on the far right grinned, their sharp white teeth making John swallow thickly.

“Ba ba ba bum!”

“…certain death!” Guards 1 and 2 sang, the other two guards letting out soft “oooooh”s and making John feel very uncertain and annoyed.

“Well then which one is which?” He asked, the guards looking at each other with smirks that irked John even more.

“We cannot say.” Guard 2 replied, the others nodding in agreement.

“Why not?” John challenged, feeling a sense of pride when the smug smirks were wiped off their faces and replaced with confusion as the guards muttered amongst themselves.

“Well uh, 4 and I do not know. But 1 and 3 know.” Guard 2 mumbled, they and Guard 4 stepping back behind Guards 1 and 3.

“Oh… Okay, then I’ll just ask them then.” John nodded, squinting up at the two guards that stood before him. They were at least a foot taller, and despite the height difference John felt confident.

“If you wish to ask us, you’ll need to follow the rules. You may only ask one of us, and you should know that one of us always tells the truth, whereas the other always lies. Guard 3 always lies, that’s a rule too.” Guard 1 stood before the door on the left, while Guard 3 moved in front of the door on the right, the other two guards laughing as they moved aside.

“I do not! I tell the truth!” Guard 3 protested, “He’s the liar!”

“Oh what a lie!”

John felt his head begin to swim with all the bickering and he raised a hand to stop them, closing his eyes for a moment. In order to solve this puzzle he’d need to think of a way to corner one of them into revealing who was the liar and who… That’s it!

He walked over to the guard to his right and pointed over at the other guard, “Alright. Answer yes or no. Would he tell me that this door leads to the castle?”

“I… Wait… What do you think?” The guard glanced over towards the guard on the left and they quietly conferred, leading the carapace to answer with an uncertain “Yes.”

“Aha! So then the other door leads to the castle and this door leads to certain death.” John grinned, the two guards glancing at each other in confusion.

“Wait what?”

“How do you know? He could be telling the truth.”

John smirked and pointed at the guard to his right, “Then you wouldn’t be. So if you said yes, the answer is no. And if you were telling the truth he would be lying. So if you told me that he said yes, the answer would still be no.” His eyes were bright with understanding, and Broderick almost clapped from his throne at how quickly the young tween had overcome the age old riddle. He’d severely underestimated John’s problem solving skills, his pokerface replaced with a small smirk for a moment before reverting back to stony indifference.

“Do you get it?”

“I’ve never understood it anyways.” The guards muttered as they stood aside for John to pick a door, the left one his obvious choice.

As he reached for the door handle he smiled, “I’ve figured it out. I couldn’t do it before, I must be getting smarter or something. This’ll be a piece of cake… Shi-AAAAAH!!” Stepping through the door towards what seemed to be the castle, the floor beneath him gave away to nothingness and down he plummeted with a loud scream, the guards laughing mercilessly as the door slammed shut behind him and the darkness swallowed him whole.

Broderick watched for another minute or two before suddenly standing, the goblins yelping and startling Jane into a small fit. He threw the crystal in his hand high above him, the ball turning into a small dove that flapped its wings and flew down to coo at Jane, pacifying the small child as Broderick paced out of the room.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” Dave was leaning on a nearby pillar, Broderick leveling a steely stare at his advisor.

“He’s in the Oubliette. He shouldn’t have even made it that far yet, he should have given up by now.”

Dave snickered, ignoring the glare from Bro as he stood up straight and walked over. “He’ll never give up at this rate, that dork’s too stubborn and he cares far too much for his sister and parents. You’d have better luck wrangling a nakodile with only a piece of string and some fish flakes.”

Broderick sighed, conjuring another crystal and tossing it between his hands, Lil Cal appearing on his shoulder. Dave flinched for a moment before resuming his own poker face towards the small puppet, Bro seeming to not have noticed his flinch. “Well… I have a plan. He’s about to meet that troll boy again, who’ll lead him back to the beginning. He’ll definitely give up if he realizes he’s right back at the start.”

Dave chuckled at the thought despite his hope for John’s triumph, turning to walk back with Bro into the throne room where Jane seemed to be dozing off on the throne she’d climbed onto, her bird friend becoming a stuffed animal for her to cling to.

“We’ll see how he handles himself down there in the darkness, where any kind of deal could be a shady one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm possibly posting the next chapter real soon so hold onto your hats folks!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John finds himself in a handsy situation and comes across a familiar face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried posting this a minute ago, accidentally quit out of the browser like the idiot I am, and finished the majority of this chapter at 1-2 am so here's this  
> Edit: Fixed some descriptions, added a few words and fixed some tenses. Sorry for the notifications spam with all these edits, but as I am without a beta I have to check these things periodically :'3

John’s screams went unheard as he plummeted down further and further into the dark, his voice hitching when he felt something brush against him that didn’t feel like a wall. There was a light blue glow emanating from the walls now that caused his shrill noises to die in his throat, curiosity muting him for the time being.

“Oh my god what was- HOLY SHIT!” John shrieked as hands reached out from the walls around him to grab his arms and wrists and legs, one hand grabbing his thigh and making his face burn red. “Help! Stop that! Help!!”

“What do you mean ‘Help’? We’re helping you, we are the helping hands.” Voices echoed around John and he squeezed his eyes shut as he slowly came to a halt mid-descent.

“Y-You’re uh.. hurting me.” He mumbled, the voices whispering to each other for a few moments before they all fell silent.

“Would you rather us let go?” The voices sounded smug and all of a sudden John was falling again at an alarmingly fast rate. His screams were echoed with the voices’ laughter as he frantically tumbled downward amidst the pallid white hands that stuck out from the walls in a disjointed manner.

“NO! PLEASE!” He shrieked, the hands reaching out to grab him again. Once he’d stopped falling the voices stopped laughing and it went deathly quiet again.

“Well then come on. Which way?” The hands asked, John cracking his eyes open in confusion.

“Whaddya mean which way?” He asked, two hands pointing in the up and down directions. “Oh…”

“Up or down? Come on, we haven’t all day!” The hands seemed impatient, one hand tapping its fingers on John’s thigh in dismay. “Well it’s a big decision to make. Which way do you wish to go?” The hands cajoled him and nudged him, making the blue eyed boy nervous.

“Well I guess since I’m kinda already almost there, might as well go… down?” John winced, the hands going quiet for a minute before a permeable air of malice and excitement seemed to swamp the air around him.

“He chose down? He chose down!” The hands cackled, each voice and repetition of the phrase striking fear into John’s heart. Oh god no.

“W-Wait! Was that wrong?!” John stammered, the hands echoing around him with “too little too late now!” before they abruptly let go of the boy completely, rescinding back into the walls as John let out another shrill scream and was enveloped in darkness once more, plummeting further down.

What felt like hours later but was merely a minute or two later, John landed with a painful thud, the feel of the ground akin to the sandy dirt he’d faced in the maze above. The only difference in his surroundings was the complete void of light. His glasses had shattered when they’d fallen off of his face during the fall, and his whole body ached.

“Ngh… Jane… I’m coming.” He forced himself to stand, a light breeze pushing past him and chilling the sweat on his brow. He blindly waved his arms around until he found a wall, papping his hands along it and following the breeze until he could hear footsteps.

“Who.. Who’s there? I-I’ve got a weapon!” John frantically raised his fists, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark as a faint glow seemed to appear. The glow turned into a lamp, and a grumble was heard as a familiar young troll rounded the corner and ran right into John.

“Oof! It’s me fuckwit. Jesus shitting christ you look like crap kid. What’s this about a weapon? I see nothing but wimpy fists.” Karkat winced as John landed in the dirt again, the room lighting up from the glow of the lantern.

John had wandered around in a large round room, the walls made of the same yellow sandstone and the dirt to match. There were five tunnels connecting to the room and John rubbed his eyes as he stood, “Oh it’s you… Kitten was it?”

“Karkat. It’s fucking Karkat.” The troll boy groaned and rolled his eyes dramatically, earning a small chuckle from John. “Anyways I knew you were shit with directions and all that, could tell by the naïveté you give off, so I’m here to give you a hand. Bet you’ve noticed there isn’t a single door in this place, only the hole you fell down from. This place is the Oubliette.” He pointed to the roof of the room and John glanced up to see a dark hole that seemed to reach up to an infinite darkness, making him shudder.

“I uh… I didn’t know that.”

“Of fucking course you didn’t, you’re not that smart. Bet you don’t even know what an Oubliette is.” Karkat set the lantern down, picking idly at his nails as John puffed up in annoyance.

“Well do you?” John replied accusingly, the troll boy leveling his gaze back at him with a solemn nod.

“It’s a place you put people to forget about them.”

John felt a chill go down his spine and he fought back a small whimper at the connotation. Was he meant to be forgotten down here? Would Jane and his parents and friends have forgotten…

“What you’ve got to do is get out of here and I just so happen to have the key to taking a shortcut out of the whole damn Labyrinth.” Karkat’s words seemed to snap John out of his worried state, making him frown.

“No! I’m not gonna give up that easily. I’ve come too far.” John glanced around and saw his broken glasses, carefully gathering the frames and pocketing them before spinning around to meet Karkat’s glare. “No, I’m doing okay.”

“Of course you are. You’re John fucking… whatever your last name is.” Karkat rolled his eyes and the sparkling keys on his waistband jingled, catching John’s eye. “I promise you, it gets a lot worse from here on in.”

“Why are you so concerned about me, huh?” John crossed his arms, Karkat spluttering and waving his arms frantically in a way that made the human start to laugh.

“W-Well that’s to say… I am, that’s all. Nice young human boy, terrible ugly dark-like-my-future Oubliette.” His outburst sparked John’s interest, not to mention his brain as he slowly came up with a plan.

“Mhm… Say, you like jewelry right?” John practically purred as he sidled up to Karkat, the troll boy swallowing softly.

“Why? What’s it matter to you, fuckface?”

“If you help me solve the Labyrinth, I’ll give you… this!” John reached into his shirt to draw out a silver necklace with a medallion in the middle, a terribly painted Ghostbusters green circular logo on the medallion. He felt a giddy feeling rush through him when Karkat’s eyes lit up in excitement for a moment before the troll schooled them back into a mask of indifference, John dangling the necklace before him. “You like it don’tcha Karkat?”

“Uh.. So..” The troll boy stumbled over his words, John’s hand moving back to place it back where it had been around his neck and making Karkat splutter, “T-Tell you what, you give me the necklace and I’ll show you the way outta the whole Labyrinth.”

“That’s what you said you were gonna do regardless.” John crossed his arms again, Karkat huffing and looking away.

“Well yeah that’s what would make it a particularly nice fucking gesture on your part. What’s it made of anyways?” His curiosity was piqued when John brought it back up to the light, the silvery gleam of the fake metal glinting in the dim glow from the lamp.

“It’s nickel and acrylic. No wait, I’ll tell you what… take me as far as I can and then I’ll do the rest on my own. The necklace will be all yours.” John smirked, swinging the necklace back and worth and watching Karkat’s eyes lock hypnotically on it.

“Ooohh fuck… Well I can’t promise you much, I’m no leader but I’ll take you as far as I can, then you’re on your own human.” The troll boy sighed in defeat, John giggling happily as he deposited the necklace into Karkat’s hands. “Damn, nickel and acrylic… Here we go lemme just…” He reached down to push on a rock, the floor in front of them swinging down to reveal a small trap door.

“Holy shit that’s so cool!” John bounced on the balls of his feet as Karkat climbed down into the lower tunnel to grab a small doorway leaning against a wall, climbing back up to place it on the wall beside them and taking his key ring out.

“Gimme a sec… FUCKING CLOSET!” Karkat swore as he locked and unlocked the door to reveal a small broom closet, John snickering as he closed it and picked another key to lock and unlock it.

“There we go, c’mon shitstain let’s go.” Karkat grabbed John’s wrist, glancing around furtively before propelling the human through the doorway and shutting it behind them, the wooden door falling back down through the trap door into the lower section. A whirring noise was heard as the floor slid back up into place, the only traces left behind of John and Karkat being small bits of broken glass that scattered the dusty floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in desperate need for feedback, so leave a comment below on what you like/what I should fix for future chapters and what scenes from the movie you wish to see written :3 My tumblr's iheartpkmn if you ever wanna drop a line and chat or if you're having a bad day, lots of love and thanks for reading! Let's get this next chapter cranked out pronto!


	9. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not an actual update, this is a quick heads up to my readers

Heya guys, this is a quick intermission just to give you a heads up on some things regarding some characters in this fic: _ **(Be warned, if you have not read the upd8 of 6/28 this is your sign to do so immediately, the upd8 has SERIOUS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FOR BRO AND DAVE STRIDER)**_

Bro Strider in this fic will exhibit some of his qualities from the comic, but will have lived in the Underground with an empty Lil Cal. His actions were not left unchecked as he was checked upon by the Fae Court, and I still intend to write this fic. The next chapter will be up soonish, but to those of you who have read the upd8 you will understand this.

I am making Bro mostly OOC to fit with this AU, if you are searching for a more in character Bro Strider you can search elsewhere. I might delete this chapter after a certain amount of time but **I acknowledge that in canon Bro Strider is an abusive sack of shit. I do not apologize for him, I do know he is a problematic character with serious issues.** This fic is based on an AU, not on canon.

Dave Strider will be in an environment where Bro actually did care about him, and his reactions to things will be different. (God fucking damn I wish the canon Dave could have experienced that instead of what he actually got)

Thank you all for reading this, for keeping up with my sporadic updates and general sillyness, and I hope you all have a good week. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave thinks to himself, John and Karkat get into deep shit with Bro, and another bargain (if not forcefully) is made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter for all y'all who've been waiting for this slow-mo to update, here's to you guys for sticking with me!

“Calm your tits Bro, these people come all the time. You can just tell them you’re busy and that you’ll have the meeting next week.” Dave fell in step beside Broderick, watching his guardian and liege pace back and forth in the right wing corridor.

“The Fae Inquisition can’t be put off, Dave, you’ve been here long enough to know that. These tits will stay ‘uncalmed’ until I can come up with a damn solution to this setback. They can’t know somebody his age is running the Labyrinth. It was hell enough passing your run. The royal court will be in fits and halt the entire thing before John can be tested. The plan will go to shambles at this rate!” Bro answered with a snap, Lil Cal tucked under his arm for comfort.

“Yes yes, I know. You took me from the human realm how long ago? Pretty sure I’ve seen this random inquisition happen a few times, don’t get your frilly lacy underwear in a twist. You’ll figure something out.” Dave rolled his eyes with a small smirk, shivering slightly when the puppet’s eyes fell blankly on him. He never understood what Bro saw in that lifeless puppet, probably a kindred soul with how the book had bound him much like a puppet to his role as the evil Goblin King.

If somehow someone evil or ill of will had found the storybook that could give the reader the power to breach the worlds... Luckily the last few contestants hadn’t won, for their minds were selfish to a degree that youthful ignorance could not cover for. But John… Dave’s eyes clouded over as he imagined the young boy, whom he wanted to win so very badly. This boy had potential. He could make Bro very happy in the future, if he so chose it. The realm was in desperate need of another advisor or spouse for the king, as the older Fae still clung to the court’s old ways and it was driving Dave insane with frustration with the continued offers of marriage despite his protests.

Dave could sense the potential for friendship in the boy, a lonely feeling blossoming in his breast. He’d been taken by the book decades before, having won the Labyrinth with his ingenuity and cunning but not seeking the throne or the proposal he’d been given by the Kingdom of Fae. Bro had been kind enough to give him the status of his right hand and closest advisor, made his ageing process slow like a Fae. Comfort was the key term to their relationship amidst the court and quiet handholding when things got rougher during debates, and no matter what it always brought a slight dusting of red to Dave’s cheeks at the thought of their more platonic moments.

“Gh… Can you stall them for me just for a half hour? I can manage everything else and I’ll have a suitable alternate date prepared for them. They know better than to drop in unannounced, this’ll give me leeway into calling a raincheck…” Broderick stopped pacing for a moment to give Dave his signature pleading stare, Dave stepping close to his King and reaching up to pat his shoulder with a quick comforting squeeze and an amused sigh.

“Sure, I’ll give you ten minutes. You set John on a REASONABLE course, and I’ll up it to fifteen.” Dave gave Bro a grin and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, his deep maroon cape swishing around him as he took off in a brisk walk towards the front of the castle. Bro smiled softly for a second before shaking his head, his orange eyes flickering like a candle as he pulled out another crystal ball.

“Is that… Karkat is going the wrong way. That’s towards the open forest part of the maze, closer to the castle! The fuck… Oh John you’re a clever one…” Bro smirked, chuckling softly as he flashstepped to the throne room. “Very clever… It’s no wonder the book chose you. Now for a disguise…” He felt a pang of sadness in his heart but banished it, determined to play the role he’d been assigned. That’s what John wanted anyways. A good, handsome villain to thwart his progress and lure him away from his intended goal.

 

~~ 

 

“Wow Karkat without you, I would have listened to all those rock heads and gotten so lost..!” John stumbled after the troll, his quick stride hard to match up to now that his body was still bruised from the fall earlier. They’d been navigating through the Oubliette for a little while, the tunnels lightening more and more until John could see cracks in the ceiling with sunlight pouring through. The material of the tunnels had changed as well, the stone surrounding them a dark gray speckled pumice with a darker brown dirt floor that seemed almost damp and clung to John’s sneakers.

“Yeah don’t listen to them, those irritatingly loud gravel totems like to spout out the wrong stuff all the time. Especially when you’re on the right track.” Karkat called back over his shoulder, the pair passing a forlorn looking Rockface.

“Beware, for the-“

“Oh would you shut your load gaper?” Karkat cut off the Rockface with an irritable shout, John blinking and frowning at him.

“Hey Karkat, that wasn’t very nice. He’s just doing his job… or whatever.” John’s sentence got a little muddled at the end as he glanced over at the Rockface, whose demeanor had gotten slightly hopeful.

“Oh please can I say it? It’s been so long since the last person came and I got to say it…!”

Karkat kicked a small pebble into a nearby fern in frustration, noticing that John was mimicking the Rockface’s forlorn puppydog look and letting out a loud obnoxious groan. “Fine, what the fuck ever. Say it, just remember you’re not getting quite the exuberant and terrified reaction you got the last time.”

“Alright, alright, ahem…   _Beware! For the path you take will lead to certain destruction!_ ” The Rockface’s voice tripled in volume, John clamping his hands over his ears with a wince as Karkat stood there indifferently.

“You done?”

“Yes, thank you very much.” The Rockface smiled, Karkat grunting with a nod as John removed his hands from his ears and waved goodbye with a small smile. The duo began to walk further through the tunnel, when John’s stomach let out a soft gurgle.

“The fuck was that?”

“Oh sorry, my stomach growled. I guess it’s nearly time for food, but I didn’t bring anything… Oh well, I’ll get food for Jane and I once I’ve gotten her back from Broderi- I m-mean the Goblin King.” John’s face reddened slightly and Karkat rolled his eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time.

As the two walked in somewhat companionable silence, John’s eye caught a glimpse of a small spherical glass orb drift past his feet from behind him. The orb quickly rolled ahead of them down the path to their left, and John grabbed Karkat’s hand right as they turned left into the other pathway.

“Uh oh…” The young boy murmured, Karkat seeing the orb and stiffening slightly when he saw an old hunchback crone of a troll pick it up a few paces away.

“Ah, what have we here? A human and a troll?” The old troll stared at Karkat and John, Karkat feeling a lump settle in his throat as he shook his head.

“Nothing to see here, nothing at all.”

“Nothing you say? Nothing?” The older troll suddenly stood up to a miraculous height, their rags and gray skin melting away like a mirage to reveal none other than The Goblin King himself, John and Karkat both yelping in surprise. “This surely seems like a real good case of nothing, hm hm…?” His voice was melodious in an edged way that sent odd shivers down John’s spine, his intense amber eyes peering down at them from over his strange triangular shades.

“Y-Your majesty! What a nice surprise!” Karkat stammered, his eyes wide with fear. John glanced down to see Karkat’s hands shaking slightly, his lips turning downwards into a concerned frown.

“Hello Kinkles.” The Goblin King smirked and crossed his arms, purposeful in his mispronunciation.

“It’s Karkit.” John interjected, pointing a finger at Karkat.

“Karkat.” The troll boy let out a small groan, but his frustration disappeared when Broderick snapped his fingers.

“Karkat, are you helping this boy?” His tone was dangerously soft, and Karkat let out an audible whimper as he rubbed his hands together nervously.

“H-Helping? This wriggler? In what s-sense?” John felt his heart race in fear for Karkat, but it seemed he wasn’t a part of this conversation as much as he was the topic. And he was almost curious as to how Karkat would answer.

“In the sense that you were leading him towards the castle. Against orders.” The King tapped his foot with an unreadable pokerface, the young troll getting more and more nervous.

“I was uh.. taking him back to the beginning.” Karkat sighed, John gasping and angrily stepping forward to insert himself back into the conversation.

“Excuse me?” John’s angry words were hushed almost immediately when Bro twirled a finger lazily in the young boy’s direction and John’s voice died in his throat with a panicked gasp.

“I told him I would help, a lil trickery on my part, but actually I was taking him..” Karkat’s voice cracked and cut off with a surprised yelp when the King reached down to grab the necklace that was hanging from Karkat’s neck.

“What is this around your neck?” It took Karkat a moment to register before he spluttered and stepped back anxiously.

“This old thing? Goodness, I uh.. I stole it off one of the Carapace guards who uh…”

“Ah I see, well… If for even a second I thought you were betraying me, I’d be forced to send you straight into the Bog of Eternal Greenfire. And you surely wouldn’t want that to befall you.” The Goblin King shrugged nonchalantly and turned away from Karkat, the troll almost turning white as a sheet.

“N-Not the Bog of Eternal Greenfire…” Karkat stumbled back, his eyes wide and his hand clutching at his chest. John stood fuming as Bro’s smug gaze matched with the younger boy’s furious scowl, the King glancing back to mimic Karkat sarcastically before reverting his attention to John. With another wave of his finger John’s voice returned with a loud cough, the boy glaring up at him.

“And you, my dearest John. How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?” The smarminess in his voice and smirk made John see red, and a hasty reply was made before he could even register the possible consequences.

“It’s a breeze.” Even Karkat winced at that reply, John feeling himself get nervous when the King’s smirk widened a fraction.

“Oh really? Then how about upping the stakes? You only have six hours and twelve minutes until your sister belongs to us.” A clock appeared and the hands began to move even faster, John letting out an upset cry.

“W-Wait that’s not fair!”

“My dearest John, you say that far too often. I sometimes wonder what your basis of comparison is. You say the Labyrinth is a breeze? Then it’ll be fun to see how you deal with this sudden gust of fresh air. Wake up and smell the defeat, John. You’ll never get your sister back.” The Goblin King gave John a sharp grin and procured a small crystal ball from his sleeve, casting it down the hall where they had come from. The ball began to transform, creaking and letting out sharp metallic noises as it suddenly turned into a metal wall on wheels with sharp weapons swinging in every direction.

“FUCK! Not the cleaners! Run!” Karkat let out a shrill yell and bolted in the opposite direction with John’s wrist held tight in his grasp, the Goblin King disappearing with a sinister laugh as the metal wall rushed towards the boys. John stumbled and ran behind him, glancing back to see a slightly fuzzy version of the wall. Without his glasses he couldn’t assess the danger well but the fearful look on Karkat’s face was enough to make his stomach churn.

No matter where they turned the wall was quick to follow, Karkat tripping for a moment only to be picked up and dragged further by John. “Careful! You okay Karkat?!”

“Yeah just fuckin hurry! One touch from that thing and we’re worse off than hoofbeast shit! We need to find a wa-OOF!” Karkat wheezed as John turned at another corner and the both of them ran straight into a wall in their panic, the corridor going on further past them. Amazingly, they had run into a section of the wall that had been made of paper, the two of them landing in an unceremonious heap on the dirt floor as the cleaner machine rumbled past them with a small red Nakodile running the machine behind it.

“Wha… Well that was lucky!” John smiled, rubbing the dirt from his cheek. He’d landed right on top of Karkat, the troll pinned beneath him and looking up at the human boy in anger.

“Jesus fuckin dicks, the cleaners! The Bog of Eternal Greenfire… You sure got his attention.” Karkat rolled his eyes and blinked, looking past John to see a small ladder leading up to the roof of the place they had fallen into. “Holy crap that’s it! A ladder’s just what we needed. Get off me fuckwit so I can get you further.”

“How can I trust you though? You said you were taking me back to the beginning.” John frowned, remembering what Karkat had said to Broderick.

The troll boy sighed, “I was lying. I told him that to throw off the scent.”

“How can I believe a word you say Karkat? You could be lying right now for all I know!” John’s eyes scrunched up as he searched the troll boy’s yellowed eyes, seeing nothing but irritation and fear in them.

“Lemme put it this way princess, you got any other choices in who to listen to? Especially with your current timeframe?” He made a good point, and time was ticking as they sat in the dusty hollow. After a moment, John reluctantly stood up and held out his hand, helping the troll up.

“Now that we’ve effectively wasted five minutes, let’s move up this ladder. Socially inept doofuses first, so after you kid.” Karkat gestured to the ladder, John huffing in annoyance as he made his way up the ladder and towards what seemed to be a small manhole cover. “Push it open would you? Holding the ladder steady is a blast don’t get me wrong, and as tempting as it is to just stay like this for all eternity, I’d much rather be up there than down here.”

John put both hands on the manhole and gave it a slight push, the dust encrusting around the sides of it falling into his hair as he slowly shoved the cover off to reveal bright sunlight. “Yes!! We’re out of the Oubliette!”

“Good.” Karkat quickly followed as John launched himself up into the light, the troll squinting at the harsh light and scampering to a shady spot beneath a tree. They had made it to a small clearing amidst the maze of stone walls, a lush forest just barely in view.

“So what’s so bad about the Bog of Eternal Greenfire?” John looked around, rubbing the dirt off his face and out of his hair as Karkat stretched and the bag of other jewelry glinted on his belt. It caught John’s eye and set the cogs in his mind in motion as Karkat replied with a grave voice.

“Imagine being on fire for all eternity, the light so painful that it blinds you if you stare into it for too long. One touch of the flames and whatever it is will burn forever. It’s absolute hell for those of us trolls who are sensitive to light. Anyways, I took you as far as I could. This is where we part ways.” Karkat spun around, waving a hand back at John who let out an offended gasp.

“What?! You cheap asshole! That was barely anything!”

“Yeah, your point? I’m a coward, take it from my point of view. The King terrifies me, so I listen to him.”

“That isn’t a viewpoint, that’s not a standing at all!”

“Exactly. You’re good on your own kid, thanks for the necklace.”

“Grrr… Y’know what.. Hah!” John ran after Karkat, tackling him face-first into the dirt and grabbing the bag of jewels as well as the necklace and quickly robbing him of everything he thought to be of value while the troll boy beneath him kicked and thrashed with yells of anger. “There! I’ve got all your sparklies, now you have to take me further. Get me to a good point and I’ll return it all, and we can part ways.”

“Y-YOU FUCKING ASSHAT!” Karkat spluttered as John stood up with a confident grin, the human’s front teeth worrying his lip in an adorable way that made the troll boy see red. “FUCKIN WRIGGLER YOU GIVE THOSE BACK!” No matter what he did, he couldn’t grab the gems from John, who kept sidestepping the smaller troll boy and tiring him out quickly.

“Nope! You have to show me the way, onward Karkik!” John cackled, the boy running ahead towards what looked like a throne amidst the clearing. Karkat sighed, not even bothering to correct him for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“Fucking shit-spewing chute worm… I’m already in over my head, might as well entertain the wriggler till I can find a quick escape with my goods…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, lemme know what you think in the comments, if you wanna see any specific characters or moments or want a request (I need practice for aged up John and Bro moments, so if y'all need some cute af requests just attack my inbox) just drop a line at my tumblr http://iheartpkmn.tumblr.com


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave fucks up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so bad for doin this to Dave, but here's more into Dave's status and power abilities (sorry for the wait again!)

After tending to Bro’s little inquisition problem, Dave found himself perched on the balcony of one of the throne room’s many outer walkspaces, peering into one of the orbs he’d been training to use. He could see John bartering with an old two headed troll with a frustrated fishy hat that couldn’t make up its mind on which way to lead the duo, chuckling softly when he saw John offer two gold coins that belonged to the troll boy… Karkat was it? Yeah, that one he’d seen tending the gardens sometimes. He and the troll had often talked before he’d been confined to the castle by the council’s demands. God he wished he could fast forward their times with his granted powers so as to make Bro’s reign easier, but alas it was against the time rules.

Ill wishes aside, he glanced over at Jane, the little girl giggling and playing with some of the goblins. She was like a beacon of light during these boring hours. Little did John know that the time was moving so slowly for him, whereas the rest of the Labyrinth moved in regular pace. He’d cheated Bro’s strategy just to see the boy win, his hopes and future dreams riding on this one boy.

“Hey guys, I’m going for a walk. Nobody tell Bro- I mean the King I’m on a walk, a’ight? Later.” Dave held up a hand as he stepped out of the throne room cautiously, glancing around to see if there was anyone watching him as he snuck through the maze of staircases and hallways that led to the outside.

Once he made it to the outside, he pulled up the hood that was connected to his cape, borrowing a bit of invisibility from the fabric as he quickly made his way through the bustling Goblin City towards the wastes, using his knowledge of his previous run as well as some well timed teleportation magic to perch himself in a high tree. He spotted the two boys arguing as they walked along, grinning despite himself as he overheard them.

“Who the grubsniffing fuck gave you the right to call me your friend?” Karkat seemed outraged by John’s nonchalant air, who was smiling and twirling the small bag of jewels he possessed on a single finger.

“Because you are. You aren’t much of one, all things considered, but you’re the uh… only one I’ve got.” John’s smile faltered a bit and both Dave and Karkat winced slightly from seeing the enthusiasm slip off the boy’s face.

“Wow consider me fucking lucky to be ‘friends’ with such a wriggler. I don’t need any friends John, but… I guess having a friend or whatever sounds nice, although it kinda sounds like some human disease or something.” Karkat’s face flushed slightly as he avoided John’s eyes, the young boy turning to the troll and giving him a wide grin.

“It’s a terrible disease, called friendship! Your heart slowly melts and you start wanting to hang out with this person who’s infected you with it, until you’re inseparable and die old and lame together! Won’t that be fun Karkat?!” John’s gambit rose as Karkat’s bashful blush led to more of a shocked and scared pallor, which elicited a small chuckle from Dave. What Dave hadn’t counted on though, was John’s hearing to be so good.

“Did you hear that? It sounded like a laugh…” John perked up, Karkat stopping mid-swing at John’s side to give him a confused look.

“No I didn’t hear anything. Hurry up and let’s go so I can have my stuff back.” A shove later and John was moving again, Dave covering his mouth nervously and following them as they entered a lush forest. Vines peeked out between old sandstone blocks that laid a path through the trees, ancient walls crumbling with gnarled branches seemingly erupting from the rock itself. Dave perched himself on one of the walls as John and Karkat glanced around to gather themselves and figure out a direction.

“I think we should head towards the other side of the forest, maybe that’ll lead us to the city?”

“I think you should have your thinkpan checked for water damage, the ruins lead to the center of the forest, which in turn may or may not lead straight to the wastes. At least that way we’ll be closer to the city. The edge just leads to the wall.” Karkat’s clipped voice made Dave chuckle again, muting himself too late as he saw John whip his head up to stare at the boy on the wall.

“Who… Karkat do you know who that is? Excuse me, do you know the way to the Castle?” John called out to the mysterious teen clad in royal red, meeting the eyes of the boy with a small gasp. He had shocking red eyes and snow white hair that contrasted with his dark complexion, his features for some reason reminding John of the Goblin King. But the two looked nothing alike, why would he have thought about Broderick…

“Wha… High Knight Dave?! I thought you had been locked in the Castle! D-Does the King know you’re here?” Dave was frozen in place with fear, his eyes wide as Karkat immediately recognized him. He’d broken his promise with Bro. Oh fucking fuck. He had two options. One had already been made for him though.

“I… I uh…” Dave’s stutter made Karkat’s expression go from surprised to sympathetic, John’s face showing thorough confusion for a moment before it was replaced with a small smile. Dave leapt down from the wall with ease, pacing back and forth in front of the duo waving his hands in expressive motions despite his suddenly calm face. “I’m… Shit I’m not supposed to be here, shut up okay? I wanted to watch you but the Castle was so stuffy and I finally got a moment to slip away and maybe mingle with the people and finally make friends with others besides the underling Goblins, not to mention I was revisiting the old stomping grounds y’know gotta keep my legs strong and all that since I’m the Knight of the Time in this realm and all that shit, you’d think giving the Timekeeper status to a mere human would be absolutely moronic but jokes on the old farts I can be reliable, unless of course I’m sneaking out of the Castle to visit the first human I’ve seen in ages but…”

“Don’t worry your uh, high knightness or whatever, we won’t mention anything to the King. But if you shouldn’t be here, you could get in serious trouble.” John cut him off, Dave stopping his movements to stare at John with such intensity that the boy shrank back a bit.

“You’re right, and you’ll be in grave danger if I’m here any longer. I’m sorry I interfered with your run of the Labyrinth, let me make it up to you. I’ll give you another hour on the clock, since that man with the fish hat caused you a lot of hassle.” Dave made a clock appear, pushing the hour hand back a full hour to John’s delight before willing it back out of existence.

“Oh man, thank you! Dave was it?” John watched the teen nod, “Thank you Dave, when I get to the castle, if I see you I’ll try to find some way to get you more freedom. It’s a real shame that you’re locked up in a stuffy castle with the King and all those Goblins without some friends.”

A tremor passed through Dave, warmth rising to his cheeks as he gave the boy a smirk. “That’d be hella sweet dude, when you’re not timed and saving your sister from the King’s clutches we could uh… chill sometime? When you’re in this dimension or something.”

An excited nod later and Dave was full blown grinning, Karkat almost giving a smile. He’d wondered how the Knight of Time in the realm had been doing, seeing as how he’d been proclaimed the heir a few times by false prophets and more assassination attempts had been made on the human.

“Oh and John?”

“Hmm?” The boy perked up, the teen moving to stand right in front of him and grip his shoulders. Dave stared into John’s eyes and leaned up, pressing a chaste kiss to the boy’s forehead.

“I give you my protection. You will be safe from lethal harms that try to take your life from now on, and don’t wipe your fucking forehead you dork. Damn, you leave the human world for a few decades and all of a sudden it’s like bro kisses ain’t a thing. Whatever, I gotta skedaddle. Good luck John, use your courage and your kindness for others, they’ll be your best weapons against the trials ahead.”

As Dave stepped back and began to cast a teleporting spell, John smacked a hand over the spot on his forehead with a bright blush, Karkat biting back a chuckle. “Hurry, my time powers can only keep you on the right track for so long. Take a left here and you’ll see a path leading further into the forest towards the heart of the nearby jungle. Later nerds, good luck John!”

John watched in embarrassed amazement as the teen knight disappeared in a flash of red light, his hand cupped over the spot on his forehead Dave had kissed. He’d been given a kiss on the forehead by another guy?! Was that normal for when you’re older to have guy friends show affection? His emotions thoroughly muddled by his thoughts, Karkat began to slide over with a small smirk.

“Alright, Dave gave you a pretty good hint there, guess you don’t need my help after all. Why don’t I just take back those-“

John straightened up and papped Karkat’s hands away from the treasure bag on his waist, grabbing his wrist. “Ah ah! C’mon Karkat we’re getting close! I’ll give you them back when I’ve deemed we’re close enough.”

The two began walking again, Dave silently watching from the trees with a sad smile on his lips as they rounded the bend and disappeared. This timeline would have to be scrapped. The feeling of John’s shoulders lingered beneath his palms, small and warm but not tinged with malice or clothed in meager rags like the Goblins and other Fae he’d had to interact with over the years. He felt life ticking like an endless clock in an addictive stream around John as he rewove the timeline; Dave yearned to walk beside John. But he had to wait, time was a cruel master that slowly started to tug him back to the castle after righting his mistake, his body growing heavy with exhaustion and thought as he finally managed to sneak back into the Castle.

“Don’t think I didn’t see you, Dave.” A step away from his room, he had royally screwed up. He couldn’t bear to turn and face Bro, his eyes watering slightly. “You knew better.”

“Won’t happen again, I’ll just stay in this Castle till I die like the Fae court wants me to. Sorry.” Dave bit out, hand reaching for the knob to his door. A hand grabbed his wrist, making Dave jerk back with a yelp and fall into Bro’s open arms.

“It’s just to protect you from the enemies of this realm, I’m sorry you had to erase their memories Dave. I’m glad you got to meet John though, he’s pretty special ain’t he?” Bro’s voice rumbled in Dave’s ears, making him relax back into Bro with a small smile.

“Yeah… He wanted to be friends, with me. Like, actual friends. I…”

“No need for words kid, I understand. He’ll be the one to finish the Labyrinth, I just know it. Also I saw the time thing, you think you’re so clever giving them an hour extra as well as a protection charm, luckily I have something to even out the playing field rather soon.” Bro’s tone shifted playfully and made Dave roll his eyes.

“Oh? You gonna use another disguise?”

“No, John’s ambition and courage is based on the people around him. We turn Karkanker against him, we’re set for a very good show.”

“It’s Karkat, Bro.”

“Whatever.”

~~~~~

“Who… Karkat do you know who that is?” John glanced up to see a mysterious teen clad in royal red, meeting the eyes of the boy with a small gasp. He had shocking red eyes and snow white hair that contrasted with his dark complexion, his features for some reason reminding John of the Goblin King. But the two looked nothing alike, why would he have thought about Broderick…

“Excuse me, do you know the wa-” But before he could finish, he felt a sudden pressure to his forehead and blinked, the teen vanishing into thin air.

“Who are you talking to, the moss? There’s no one there. Hurry up, we gotta turn left up here.” Karkat called, already a few paces ahead of John, the young boy rubbing a hand gingerly on a tingling spot on his forehead in confusion. After staring at the place on the crumbling ancient walls where the red eyed teen had been, John sighed and turned away, his heart sinking a little for some unknown reason.


End file.
